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He let out a breath. “Well, you have a reason to be scared it seems.”
“What the hell are you talking about? And why are you here with him, Quinn?”
Quinn grimaced then started to pace. “You know that I used to be a Talon, right?”
Brie blinked. “Yeah, before you mated Gina.” Gina was Finn’s sister, as well as the new Enforcer of the Redwoods. The two of them had met when the Talons and Redwoods formed a council fifteen years ago. Quinn, along with his son, Jesse, had become Redwoods when he and Gina mated.
“Well, because I grew up with the Talons, and some still consider me an honorary Talon, I hear things from the Pack before the other Redwoods do.”
“Okay…”
“First, Brie, I need you to be honest with me, okay?” Finn asked before Quinn could finish his thought.
She turned to her cousin and frowned. “I’m always honest with you,” she whispered, knowing that wasn’t quite the truth. She’d hidden her discovery for years and hadn’t mentioned the pull she’d felt. That, however, was her business. It wasn’t as though she’d outright lied about the fact that she’d found her mate and subsequently let nothing come of it.
Finn’s mouth pressed into a thin line, and she sucked in a breath. “Is Gideon your potential mate?”
She blinked. She knew he’d ask something along those lines. He said as much when he walked through the door, but it was still a shock to hear it clearly stated. She’d never really spoken aloud about it except for tonight. And now look where it left her.
She couldn’t lie though. It didn’t feel right. “Yes. He’s my potential.” Both men cursed, and she waved her hands, her eyes burning. She didn’t let the tears fall though. It hurt like hell, but she wasn’t weak. And maybe if she kept telling herself that, she’d believe it.
“I’m not going to mate with him, Finn. I’m not stupid. He’s the freaking Alpha of the Talons. I’m a submissive. Those two don’t mesh. The moon goddess got it wrong. I get that. So don’t worry. I’ll stay away from him, and then, eventually, our wolves will find a way to move on.” Hopefully. “And one day, maybe I’ll find another mate. Or I can find a wolf I want to spend the rest of my life with, and then one day the bond might form. This isn’t the end of the world.”
Only...it felt like it.
“Fuck,” Quinn mumbled then started to pace again. She hadn’t noticed he’d stopped, but again, she’d been in her own head.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “I don’t get it. You guys sound like you knew that this was a possibility before you walked in.” She froze. “Did Gideon say something? Hell, he shouldn’t have. We haven’t even spoken to one another about it. Or, really even spoken to each other beyond that one time in the meeting. He’s not going to want to mate with me, guys. Everything will be fine. It won’t disrupt the Packs. We’ll both get over it. I’m sure he has already.” Her heart ached at that last part, but she pushed it away. She’d deal with the pain later. She always did.
“Its not that easy anymore,” Finn whispered.
Easy? How on earth was this easy? If this was easy, she didn’t want to know what hard felt like. Her wolf nudged at her, a scrap of claws along her skin.
Finn looked at Quinn, and Brie wanted to scream at them to just tell her what the heck was going on.
“You remember that the elders of the Talon Pack keep trying to control Gideon, right?” Quinn asked.
She nodded, her wolf growling at the idea that Gideon had to deal with that. He might not actually be her mate in truth, but she still didn’t want others to take advantage of him.
“They had issues with you and Gina mating,” she said.
Quinn snorted. “That’s one way of putting it. Well, they’re back. Or, more precisely, Shannon is back.” He swallowed hard. “She’s apparently gotten the rest of the elders on her side.”
Something cold crawled up her spine, and she froze. “What side is she on?”
Finn met her gaze. “She’s invoking the Mating Clause.”
Brie sucked in a breath. She knew that clause because she’d read the old files with her Uncle Reed when she was younger. She wanted to be part of the Pack and help any way she could. “No. They can’t do that. Can they? Gideon’s fine without a mate.” Her wolf slammed into her, and she barely kept on her feet. Goddess, ithurt.
Quinn shook his head. “They have the entire elder council on his back, Brie. They even picked out a woman for him. Iona. I know Gideon used to sleep with her, but I know they aren’t mates.”
She jerked as though she’d been slapped, taking a step back.
“Fuck,” Quinn said sharply, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry, Brie. I’m going about this all wrong.”
Finn stepped toward her, but she took another step back, holding her hands up.
Her mind whirled, but she would force her words to come out clearly. She could do this. She was stronger than she thought—least she prayed she was. “If Iona isn’t his mate, how can they invoke the Mating Clause?”
